Not terror – but a big test
Police and military practise emergency response
OPERATION TREBLEROPE: TJG1ST A THREE-DAY live exercise to test responses to a terrorist attack has been executed in London.
The exercise, which was five months in the planning, involved more than 500 Met Police officers and members from the military and other partners working in Hendon and across London.
Exercise Treblerope began on Monday November 28, where first responders from the emergency services were required to attend a shopping mall in Canary Wharf, following a staged terrorist firearms attack with ‘ marauders’ on the scene.
Between the hours of 11pm and 5am, those on the scene detained the suspects, protected the public and rescued the wounded.
On day two, specialist counter terrorism officers were required to track down outstanding suspects, using a disused site at St George’s Hospital in Hornchurch and The Royal Mint in Tower Hamlets.
On the final day a siege scenario was played out at the Met’s training centre in Hendon.
“Exercises like this are a really important way to ensure that our multiagency plans to respond to a terrorist attack are as good as they can be,” said commander Dean Haydon, of the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command.
“During live play we test our tactical response to terrorists with firearms and how we work together in practice.”
The exercise was part of a wider operation of terrorism exercises held regularly across the country as part of a government programme.
Commander Dean Haydon stresses that it was not in response to any specific threat
He said: “The exercise was focused on the extreme end of scenarios, following attacks elsewhere in the world, but I’d like to stress it was not carried out in response to any specific intelligence.
“The public may have seen extra police and military personnel in some areas and may have heard some noise from firearms being used during the course of the exercise at the Canary Wharf Estate and Hendon but there was absolutely no risk to the public.
He added: “I am really happy with how the exercise went.
“I witnessed first-hand the professional response of our emergency services.”
During live play we test our tactical response to terrorists with firearms and how we work together”